Ukrainian Troops Leave Crimea Military Bases as Russians Move in

Russian president Vladimir Putin has completed his annexation of Crimea after signing a law making the Black Sea peninsula part of the Russian Federation.

Tensions remain high in Ukraine as Kiev debates whether to pull its troops from the Crimean peninsula, where Russian forces have seized Ukrainian ships and evicted soldiers from military bases. Crimeans have lined up eagerly to apply for Russian passports. Russia claimed that some Ukrainian troops had switched sides to join the Russian military.

Ukrainian servicemen carry their belongings out of naval headquarters in Sevastopol, past armed Russian troopsReutersA Ukrainian naval officer passes by armed men, believed to be Russian servicemen, as he leaves the naval headquarters in SevastopolReutersUkrainian servicemen carry bags and a computer as they leave a military base in Perevalnoye, near the Crimean city of SimferopolReutersPeople queue to apply for Russian passports in the Crimean port of SevastopolReutersA member of pro-Russian forces looks through a wall after breaking into the naval headquarters in SevastopolReutersPro-Russian supporters take over the naval headquarters in SevastopolReutersRussian troops march towards a military base in PerevalnoyeReutersRussian troops enter the Perevalnoye barracksReutersTroops believed to be Russian carri rocket-propelled grenade launchersReutersRussian Black Sea Fleet submarines docked in SevastopolReutersA Russian ship at anchor blocks the entrance to the harbour in SevastopolReutersHonour guards open the doors for Vladimir Putin before the Crimea signing ceremony in the KremlinReutersPutin tells a rally in Moscow's Red Square: 'We are together'. Behind him are parliamentary speaker Vladimir Konstantinov (left) and Crimea's prime minister Sergei Aksyonov ReutersUkrainian servicemen at a military base in the Crimean town of Belbek watch a TV broadcast of President Vladimir Putin signing a law ratifying the treaty that makes Crimea part of RussiaReutersUkrainian soldiers set up camp close to the Russian border in east UkraineReutersA Ukrainian soldier aboard an armoured personnel carrier at a military camp in east UkraineReutersMembers of a "Maidan" self-defence battalion train at a Ukrainian interior ministry base near Kiev. The first 500 volunteers arrived at the base for training to qualify for service in the newly created National Guard to boost the military in the face of Russia's takeover of the Crimea peninsulaReutersA Ukrainian soldier at a checkpoint near the village of Salkovo, in the Kherson region adjacent to Crimea. His tattoo reads: 'If you want peace, prepare for war'Reuters